Two event leaders commit to planning together so vendors, educators, retailers and makers can spend less time choosing and more time growing
Chicago, IL and Paducah, KY – November 11, 2026 – Koelnmesse Inc., organizer of h+h americas, h+h americas Fall Edition and the Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival, and the American Quilter’s Society (AQS), producer of AQS QuiltWeek and a champion of quilters since 1984, today announced a collaboration to coordinate their efforts in the best interest of the quilting, fiber and craft community.
What this means for you
Exhibitors and vendors. Coordinated event dates are planned, so you can build a full year of shows without having to choose between them.
Educators. Aligned teaching programs aim to give you more opportunities to reach students across events.
Retailers and makers. More reasons to attend, including plans to bring award-winning AQS quilts to Koelnmesse events.
The two organizations share a simple conviction: this industry grows fastest when its events work together. Vendors, educators, designers, retailers and makers invest real time, travel and resources in every show they attend. Through this collaboration, Koelnmesse and AQS will plan with that investment in mind, so the community can build a full year of opportunity without being forced to choose between the events that matter to them.
“This industry has always been built on generosity: makers teaching makers, shops supporting guilds, and brands investing in the next generation of quilters,” said Darrin Stern, President and Managing Director of Koelnmesse Inc. “AQS has spent four decades earning the trust of this community. By working together, we are choosing to raise the tide for everyone. Our exhibitors, educators, retailers and attendees deserve organizers who put the community first, and that is exactly what this collaboration is about.”
“My family built AQS to celebrate quilters and the people who support them, and that mission has guided us for more than four decades,” said Bill Schroeder, co-owner and third-generation leader of the American Quilter’s Society (AQS). “Our community is strongest when the people who serve it work together. By coordinating with Koelnmesse, we can give our vendors, teachers, shops and quilters more opportunities and fewer hard choices, and show the whole industry what is possible when we put the community first.”
Community First, With Each Company’s Goals Intact
Both organizations will continue to run their own events and pursue their own business goals. What changes is how they plan: with open communication, respect for the community’s calendar, and a shared commitment to growth that benefits the whole industry rather than one event at a time.
“By working together, we are choosing to raise the tide for everyone.” Darrin Stern, President and Managing Director, Koelnmesse Inc.
Looking Ahead
Koelnmesse and AQS intend to explore a range of joint initiatives, including:
- Coordinated event dates, so exhibitors, educators and attendees can plan their year with confidence and avoid conflicts.
- Coordinated education, aligning teaching programs and educator opportunities so instructors can reach more students and makers can keep learning all year.
- AQS QuiltWeek winner exhibits at Koelnmesse events, bringing award-winning quilts in front of new audiences of retailers, brands and makers.
- AQS QuiltWeek competitions, exploring a juried AQS competition at the Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival.
- Shared outreach to guilds, shops and makers to grow participation across the industry.
Specific programs, dates and details will be announced as they are finalized.
“Our community is strongest when the people who serve it work together.” Bill Schroeder, Co-Owner, American Quilter’s Society
A Message to the Industry
This collaboration is also a statement about how the industry moves forward. Coordination, not competition for the same dates, is how opportunity reaches everyone. When organizers coordinate, vendors sell more, educators teach more, shops find more of what their customers want, and makers find more reasons to come back. Koelnmesse and AQS invite brands, associations, guilds and fellow organizers who share that view to join the conversation.
About Koelnmesse Inc.
Koelnmesse: Industry Trade Fairs for the Handicrafts Sector
As an organizer of innovative trade fairs of global significance, Koelnmesse is a global market leader in the handicrafts and hobby sector. Through h+h cologne in Cologne, it organizes the world’s leading trade fair and largest international platform for inspiration and sourcing in the fiber arts and handicrafts industry. Since 2022, Koelnmesse has continuously expanded its international handicrafts portfolio.
With h+h americas in Rosemont, Illinois, as well as h+h americas Fall Edition in Houston, Texas, launched in 2026, the portfolio encompasses international B2B events for exhibitors and trade visitors from the knitting, quilting/patchwork, crochet, sewing, fiber arts and craft sectors. h+h americas has established itself as the leading B2B platform for the fiber arts and handicrafts industry in North America.
The portfolio is complemented by consumer trade fairs, including the Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival in Rosemont and Houston. Following its debut in Rosemont in May 2026, the community-focused event format is set to expand to the southern U.S. in 2027. The festivals unite all fiber and handicraft categories under one roof, showcasing trends, products and technologies across knitting, quilting/patchwork, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, felting, sewing and cosplay.
About the American Quilter’s Society
Founded in 1984 by Meredith and Bill Schroeder, the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) is a membership organization dedicated to today’s quilter, welcoming quilters, collectors and enthusiasts of every skill level. AQS produces AQS QuiltWeek events, led by its flagship show in Paducah, Kentucky, regarded as a premier international quilting event, and has awarded more than $5 million in prize money since its first show in 1985. AQS publishes American Quilter magazine and quilt books, runs the AQS Quilt Contest, an Appraiser Certification Program and online classes, and its founders created and endowed The National Quilt Museum in Paducah.
Learn more at americanquilter.com.
Future Show Dates
Wholesale Events
- h+h cologne: April 2–4, 2027, Cologne, Germany | hh-cologne.com
- h+h americas: Conference May 4, Show May 5–7, 2027, Rosemont, IL, USA | hh-americas.com
- h+h americas Fall Edition: Conference October 26, Show October 27–29, 2027, Houston, TX, USA | fall.hh-americas.com
Consumer Events
- Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival Rosemont: Conference April 29, Show April 30–May 2, 2027, Rosemont, IL, USA | fiberfabriccraft.com
- Fiber+Fabric Craft Festival Houston: Conference October 21, Show October 22–24, 2027, Houston, TX, USA | houston.fiberfabriccraft.com
AQS QuiltWeek Events 2027
- AQS QuiltWeek Daytona Beach: February 10–13, 2027, Daytona Beach, FL, USA
- AQS QuiltWeek Paducah: April 21–24, 2027, Paducah, KY, USA (workshops begin April 19)
- AQS QuiltWeek Waco: May 26–29, 2027, Waco, TX, USA
- AQS QuiltWeek New England: August 4–7, 2027, Hartford, CT, USA
- AQS QuiltWeek Grand Rapids: August 18–21, 2027, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Media Contacts
Koelnmesse Inc. Jessica Boweak, Show Director. Tel: +1 773-326-9923. Email: j.boweak@koelnmesse.us. 8770 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 1300, Chicago, Illinois 60631, USA. www.koelnmesse.us
American Quilter’s Society Betsey Langford, Marketing Manager. Email: info@americanquilter.com. www.americanquilter.com
